A Helping Hand
by MarzBarz
Summary: One of the early retrievals, not too long after Ban and Ginji get their start as the GetBackers, before when the series starts. Nothing brings partners closer together like a retrieval gone wrong.


_You'd think that damn job for Natsumi would warn us not to listen when Hevn says a job will be a piece of cake. _Ban thought disgustedly as he shoved Ginji towards the downward slope of the hill, yelling "Move you idiot!" as he sprinted after his partner. Of course there would be more security than they thought; they got the box just fine, but their escape was going far worse than Ban was comfortable with. The GetBackers sprinted down the hill; they had a pretty good head start, if they were lucky they would make it away clean.

Of course, the GetBackers are never very lucky, and had apparently filled their luck quota for the day. Ban could hear the sound of guns cocking behind him and was getting ready to tackle Ginji away when Ginji did something that Ban, unused to anyone caring about his health, never saw coming.

Ginji grabbed Ban's arm and yanked the startled brunette to run in front of him, his taller and broader body acting as a shield as the two fled. Ban's brain was trying to puzzle through the unexpected role-reversal when a bullet passed within millimeters of his shoulder as it shot through his shirt sleeve, which didn't make sense because Ginji was now between him and any bullets – and Ginji was stumbling, left hand clutching at a hole through his shoulder, mouth set in a pained grimace.

Before Ban could react Ginji had tripped, falling into the brunette and knocking them both down the hill. As they rolled Ginji wrapped himself protectively around Ban, left hand still covering his shoulder. Ban cursed and squirmed until he was covering his partner's injury with his body, the two of them forming a sort of yin-yang as they tried to cover the other.

Eventually the pair stopped rolling, having gained a sizeable lead on their pursuit in the uncontrolled tumble. Ban, now feeling rather sore, disentangled himself from his partner's hold to find that Ginji was out cold. Gently picking his partner up, mindful of the hole in the blonde's shoulder, Ban sped off in the direction of the Ladybug and freedom.

_Dammit Ginji, what the hell was that for? _Ban thought, worry eating at his heart when he looked down at Ginji's bleeding shoulder. A horrible thought crossed Ban's mind as he ran; the GetBackers had barely begun, and it could already be finished. There was no GetBackers without the 'S'. Ban slapped his brain around a bit and told himself firmly to stop overreacting, Ginji would be fine, but he pushed his speed a little faster too.

As Ginji gradually returned to consciousness his body's state of general discomfort made him think more sleep would be a very good idea. Without opening his eyes Ginji started to roll over, stopping when the motion sent a flash of pain through his right shoulder. Groaning drowsily, Ginji settled onto his back and rubbed at his eyes with his left hand before opening them and peering around in confusion.

As Ginji registered the fuzzy awareness that tended to accompany blood loss, his still-fresh Infinity Fortress instincts kicked in and he built up a small current to call on at a moment's notice, trying to force his senses more alert. He hadn't felt a loss of awareness like this since Raitei had entered his life; in Infinity Fortress, loss of awareness like this usually got you killed.

After a moment Ginji realized he was in the Ladybug and relaxed, letting the current fade as he acknowledged the relative safety of the interior of the car. Peering out the window the blonde saw that they had moved from where they'd retrieved the box and were now parked somewhere near Shinjuku.

From the seat beside him Ginji heard Ban say sarcastically "Good morning, sunshine. You sure take a while to wake up." Ginji turned and smiled at his partner as he pulled his seat out of its reclined position. Once he was upright Ginji glanced at the clock and was surprised to see that it was 9 hours after they had gotten the box.

Ginji stretched, wincing as the movement sent another wave of pain through his shoulder. Ban glanced over and snapped "Quit moving moron, or you'll open the hole up again." Ginji complied, looking down to check out his injured shoulder. To his surprise he saw that he was now wearing the blue collared shirt that was usually around his waist as a constant reminder of who he was not too long ago. Apparently his white t-shirt had become the bandages now wrapped around his upper body and covering his shoulder.

Ginji turned and beamed at Ban, saying "Thanks for patching me up, Ban-chan!" Ban twisted in his seat to face Ginji, glaring at the blonde over his shades. "You need to be more careful, moron," Ban growled, his earlier worry making a smooth transition to anger as he glared at his partner. "I was being careful, Ban-chan! I didn't want you to get shot!" Ginji said defensively, not quite sure why his partner was so angry.

"I don't need you watching out for me, I can take care of myself!" Ban snapped, causing Ginji to shrink back in his seat and lower his eyes, mumbling "I just wanted to help." "Yeah, well you getting shot isn't really a big help!" Ban snarled, anger masking the anxiety he's felt the 9 hours Ginji had been unconscious.

Ginji, already pretty good at finding the hidden messages in Ban's words and actions, looked up in surprise when he heard the underlying tone of Ban's voice and smiled at his partner. It was like the undercurrent of relief the blonde had heard in Ban's voice after he barely beat Fudo.

"Sorry, Ban-chan. I'll be careful." Ginji said, putting as much reassurance into his voice as he could. "Don't be sorry, just don't let it happen again, stupid eel," Ban muttered, his anger losing steam. It was hard to stay mad in the face of that brilliant smile or those warm, confident eyes.

"Ban-chan, shouldn't we get the box back to the client soon? We can't lose our 100% success rate because we took too long!" Ginji said. "Hah! As if something like this could ruin the brilliant success of the invincible GetBackers," Ban said, grinning cockily as he started the Ladybug. Ginji beamed, a 100-Watt smile that was already becoming Ban's guiding light, and Ban reached over to give him a playful headlock and noogie before pulling onto the street.

=GB=

A/N: This is set between Birth 2 and the beginning of the manga, right after Birth 2. Basically, it's just one of the early jobs when they know each other but not quite as well, and the bond is building but not totally there yet. Hope you liked it, please give me some feedback!


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